Does Reservation Policy Need Reform

The socially and economically deprived deserve affirmative action, but its design should be such as to retain their incentive to excel and to prevent reinforcement of perceptions of inferiority. This would mean handicap points for different kinds of deprivation instead of quotas in admissions and doing away with reservations in promotions. The net result would be twofold: a slightly lower immediate representation of the deprived in the hierarchies of power but greater acceptance of and respect for those who do find their way there; and, for those outside the ambit of affirmative action, focus on achieving excellence rather than on ....